A Post-Apocalyptic Journey to Another World

Unlike the complete darkness elsewhere, this time a faint, bright yellow light shone from afar into the tunnel. Although the light source was very far away, the tunnel was pitch black, and even the slightest glimmer of light was clearly visible.

Zhang Xi slowly led the raccoon dog to the end of the tunnel, where the light gradually became clearer. It was a separate, very large space; it was unclear whether it had always been like this in the mine or had been dug out later by the leopard cat people.

The entire space was several hundred square meters in size and over ten meters high. Unlike the dark and damp tunnels, it was dry and warm inside, with several campfires burning on the ground. This was remarkable. In an underground space lacking air, the fact that campfires could be lit indicated that the ventilation system here must be excellent. Even though the distance from the ground wasn't very great, achieving this was no easy feat. It was a mystery how these leopard cat people managed to do it.

There are eight leopard cat-men in total. The five on the outer perimeter are nothing to worry about; they're below the Bronze rank, just monsters below average. Zhang Lei and Han Caiping could easily crush them. The three inside are a bit tricky: two are high-level Bronze and one is low-level Silver. Of course, killing them is easy, but Zhang Xi wants to capture them alive this time, especially the Silver-rank one. If he's determined to escape, Zhang Xi definitely won't be able to catch him. Amber has never tried chasing a Silver-rank leopard cat-men known for their speed.

After a final discussion, they decided that Amber would not transform into its human form to avoid scaring the other party away. Zhang Xi and Tanuki would attract attention while Amber quietly approached and closed the distance before seizing the opportunity to capture it.

Zhang Xi adjusted his aura to the initial Bronze level and was the first to rush out of the shadows, with Li following closely behind. The leopard cat people in the mine were also elite among them, and the five closest ones immediately surrounded him. However, two of them were killed in just one exchange.

The tallest leopard-cat-man, sitting around a bonfire, let out an angry roar, and his two bronze-level guards immediately rushed over. Two humans with early bronze-level strength were indeed rare, but coming here to cause trouble was clearly suicidal!

However, once the two sides clashed, the leopard cat leader realized that the situation was beyond his expectations. Tanuki was alright; he wasn't known for his combat prowess and, like the leopard cats, relied on agility, so their exchanges were evenly matched. Zhang Xi, on the other hand, was completely dominating his opponent. The leopard cats' speed advantage seemed entirely ineffective against him, and every attack was anticipated. Conversely, every move Zhang Xi made landed squarely on the leopard cat guards.

Using his superior strength, he practically pushed his opponent backward. The leopard cat leader couldn't sit still any longer and stood up to join the battle.

Zhang Xi could have easily defeated his opponent long ago, but he deliberately concealed his strength, forcing him to retreat without delivering a fatal blow, all to close the distance with the leopard cat leader. The distance was sufficient! The energy figure in his lower abdomen instantly released all its energy, raising Zhang Xi's strength from Bronze Level 1 to Bronze Level 8!

He slammed his hand axe into his opponent's body, then charged at the leopard cat leader! This sudden turn of events left the leopard cat leader astonished at how this human had suddenly gained so much strength. Zhang Xi had already formed a black line of afterimages and rushed towards it.

The leopard-cat leader was no novice; he'd seen the charge skill before. Dodging at such close range was impossible, so he decided to take the attack head-on. He leaped up, slashing at Zhang Xi's head, but the charging human suddenly tripped and fell just as he reached him.

Zhang Xi didn't actually fall; he had a sudden inspiration and used a tackle from a soccer game. This move is best suited for tackling people who jump. Go ahead and jump; I'm tackling your legs, not the ball. The leopard cat missed its target and was tackled squarely by Zhang Xi. He immediately grabbed the leopard cat's legs, and the two skilled fighters, like street thugs, grappled together, rolling on the ground.

Even though the Silver-tier Leopard Catman wasn't known for its strength, its power was comparable to Zhang Xi's, and its agility was overwhelmingly superior. Therefore, Zhang Xi didn't dare to linger with it. After rolling twice, he immediately activated the acceleration skill of his speed-boosting anklet, breaking away from the Leopard Catman leader.

Before disengaging, he left a small memento for his opponent: the leopard cat leader's legs had been slashed open by the elemental blades he unleashed, the muscles twisted, and his speed greatly reduced. The ensuing battle became very simple; Tanuki quickly dispatched his opponent, and also took care of the remaining two lower-level leopard cats. Amber hadn't even transformed yet.

Seeing that the battle was under control and the leopard cat leader wasn't as powerful as he'd imagined, Zhang Xi decided not to let Amber intervene. He used the leopard cat as a sparring partner for the micro-dodge technique he'd learned previously. The leopard cat leader's strength was the same as the one Zhang Xi had encountered in his previous life; however, Zhang Xi's experience and mindset after his rebirth were far superior to what they had in his previous life. In his previous life, he wouldn't have had the courage to repeatedly attack silver-tier monsters while only at the bronze level. He had always believed that Amber, a peak silver-tier expert, was there to protect him, which was why he had acted this way.

In fact, it's quite normal for a Silver-ranked individual to instantly kill a Bronze-ranked individual. If such a situation were to occur, even a peak Silver-ranked individual standing nearby wouldn't be able to stop it in time. Zhang Xi's courage and magnanimity have undergone tremendous changes since his rebirth, though he himself hasn't realized it yet.

Experience and mindset can help him offset some of the strength factor in actual combat, but a Silver rank is still a Silver rank. Zhang Xi discovered that the micro-dodge technique that worked against the Descendant of the Demon Wolf was less effective against the Leopard Cat Leader. Against the Descendant of the Demon Wolf, he could even concentrate and completely dodge the opponent's attacks within seconds, but the Leopard Cat Leader was too fast, so it seemed that micro-dodge still had many limitations.

Zhang Xi simply abandoned physical defense, letting his opponent tear his combat suit to shreds. It was the leopard cat leader's bad luck; the nano vest was specifically designed to defend against attacks from creatures with weak strength but sharp claws. It's like a PvP battle in an online game: even if you're a high-level player, you'll still get frustrated and defeated by a well-equipped player who spends real money. After abandoning physical evasion, Zhang Xi, relying on his micro-dodge techniques, managed to fight the leopard cat leader to a draw.

The two fought back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle, but after a long time, they only managed to inflict minor wounds on each other. The leopard cat-men had very weak stamina, but Zhang Xi, due to the changes that occurred while taking the Hardman Potion, possessed abnormally strong physical strength and recovery abilities.

The leopard-cat man grew weaker with each fight, while the human grew stronger. Finally, when the raccoon couldn't help but yawn, Zhang Xi slit the leopard-cat man's throat with a chop to the throat, then punched it away.

……

While the raccoon was cleaning up the battlefield, Zhang Xi squatted beside the dying and unconscious leopard cat leader, fiddling with something. He took out a small, capsule-like object and forcefully inserted it deep into the leopard cat's body through a wound, all the way into its abdominal cavity.

Then Zhang Xi stood up, frowned. The chop to the neck had cut too deep. He took out another syringe and gave the leopard cat leader an injection. This syringe was a treasure; Zhang Xi had shamelessly swindled it from Gao Longzhi using his military connections. With just one injection, the leopard cat leader's breathing, which was on the verge of stopping, became steady. Although still very weak, it was certain he wouldn't die.

Tanuki had finished cleaning up the battlefield. Zhang Xi searched the leopard cat leader but found nothing of value. He cursed him for being stingy and left with Tanuki and Amber.

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